The Third Priestess
by Master of My Own World
Summary: It's been almost 100 years. Naraku is dead, the Shikon Jewel was finally destroyed, but Inuyasha is still mourning the death of Kagome. Her descendent is brought through the well to help Inuyasha complete a task he thought he would never have to do again.
1. Prologue

Prologue

A man stood alone in front of a large shrine. He looked up at the words with a sad smile. _So many memories…_ he thought. He sat the heavy bag he had been carrying on the ground beside him and walked into the shrine and slowly began descending the wooden stairs that were inside the door. At the bottom was a large wooden well, boarded up and covered with evil-repelling sutras. They had been placed there by his grandfather, who had recently passed away. That is why they had decided to move…he was the only thing that tied the family to that place anymore.

"Papa?"

The man turned around and saw his ten-year-old son standing in the doorway, looking down at him with squinted eyes, the sudden darkness of the shrine interior blinding him. "Papa, what are you doing in there? I need some help with the heavier bags."

"Satoshi, come here," the man said, extending his hand to the child. "Do you remember your great-grandfather's stories?"

The dark-haired boy approached, grabbing onto his father's hand. "You mean great-grandfather Sota's stories about his sister? The girl who traveled through time and fought demons?"

"Yes. You know, you haven't been here since you were very little, so you probably don't remember this…but this is the well the girl used to travel back and forth through time." His son gasped. "According to my grandfather, I mean," he added quickly.

Satoshi stared down at the well. He could remember how the stories made him feel, and that same eerie feeling returned to him now. "What are those pieces of paper? What does that writing mean?"

"They're an ancient form of demon-repelling magic. They're called sutras. Great-grandfather Sota put them there to make sure no demon ever came through again." Satoshi let out an excited but quiet squeak and tightened his grip on his father's hand. He smiled at his son reassuringly. "Don't worry, Satoshi, they were only stories. He told them to my father, me, and now you. He always spoke of them in that amazing way, like he actually believed they were real…" His eyes stung slightly as he remembered his grandfather's zeal in storytelling.

"Yeah…he was good like that, wasn't he Papa?" Satoshi asked quietly.

"Very good like that…in a lot of ways. W-we will all miss him very much," the man began to choke on his words at the memory of the recent loss.

"I'll always remember those stories! My favorite parts were the ones about the brave dog warrior!" Satoshi began to jump around on the stairs, stabbing the air with an invisible sword. "I want to be just like him!"

His father laughed as the boy stumbled on a stair and landed with a hollow thud in the middle of a pile of dust. A voice called to him from outside, summoning him out of the dark, damp shrine. A man in a worn uniform motioned to him. "We finished with the furniture. Would you like some help with your bags?"

"Yes please," he responded. "Just place them in the back of the truck if you don't mind." His son popped out of the darkness and scuttled under his arm. He ruffled his son's hair and smiled. "It's going to be a long trip to America. I suppose we should get started, huh?" he asked the man from the moving van company.

"Yes, Mr. Higurashi."

…

**Yes, short and sweet, but I just love little prologues like this. Chapter "one" is much, MUCH longer believe me…it might have to be broken into two chapters…I dunno, we'll see. Now, I'll go ahead and warn you the beginning is kinda boring, but I have to get all the background info on all the characters out of the way. It is important, but if you feel you simply CAN'T stand it, go to about halfway through and it gets interesting. Please review so I can see what need improving! sara-chan**


	2. Through The Well Once Again

**Chapter One: Through the Well Once Again**

Satoshi Higurashi found himself standing in the doorway of the Higurashi Shrine once again. The last time he had been there he was only a boy, about ten or eleven. Now a grown man, he smiled at the sight of the well that had been the source of all the wonderful memories of his childhood. It had been twenty six years since he left for America. Now he had returned, but not alone. Behind him at the van were his wife and daughter, both of whom he had told the strange tales of his great-grandfather. "Come and see!" he called to them. "This is the well I was telling you about! I can't believe it's still here.." he murmured excitedly as they came to him.

His wife, Joanna, stood by him in awe. "Wow…it's just like you described it, except maybe a little dustier. This place has such a magical feel about it, don't you think Sara?" she asked the girl behind her cheerfully.

The girl raised her eyebrows skeptically and stepped inside. She stared at the wooden structure with her arms crossed, a look of fake concentration on her tan face. "I'm so impressed. Congrats, Dad, this is the grossest, spookiest well I've ever seen." She turned immediately and walked towards the huge tree not far away from the shrine.

"Sara!" her mother scolded. "This place is very special to your father. And you loved hearing the stories about that girl…oh what was her name…didn't you say you wanted to be her?"

Sara glared at her mother coldly. "Yeah, when I was, like, six! I've grown up now, and I don't care about some stupid family stories…"

Satoshi looked sad. He never outgrew the stories, not even while going through his moody teenage years in a new country. They had always been his source of hope, his comfort when he was feeling negative. It broke his heart to hear his own daughter cut down his family tradition.

The moody fifteen-year-old came to a stop in front of the gargantuan tree. She looked up at it, and her face was suddenly filled with respect and wonder instead of creases of hatred. The branches swayed slowly in the breeze as if it were painful to move them, and she was reminded of an old man with arthritis in every bone in his body. She wondered just how old the tree was. A thought swam to the surface of her mind, a memory of the stories; she fanned it away before it had time to take shape.

A leaf fell gracefully from one of the topmost branches, circling as it descended. It came to rest on Sara's shoulder, as if welcoming her with a fragile offering. She frowned at it and brushed it off, walking away before it even hit the ground. She slammed the door behind her and stomped up to her new room, which was bare except for a bed, a dresser with a vanity mirror, and half a dozen boxes filled with her old things. She collapsed on her bed in a huff and stared around the room, laying out a mental plan for her possessions.

Later that night, after dark had fallen, she crept outside and scooped up the leaf, putting it in her jewelry box.

…

Almost thirty years earlier, Satoshi and his father had moved to America in hopes of finding better schools and job opportunities. Satoshi had finally found a school of architecture close to his home and after graduating college found the love of his life- Joanna. She was a famous painter, and did some of her best work based on the Japanese style or of Japanese-type scenery. That's what sparked the idea of moving back to his original home in Satoshi's head. The idea was turned into a reality when his only daughter was born. Since she could walk and talk she had shown a passionate interest in her father's native culture, and the day her mother made her her first kimono, she immediately asked, "Can we go to a fireworks festival now?"

"Yes…" her father had replied, with a slightly dazed tone. "Yes, let's." It was truly meant to be, because his firm at work was requesting volunteers to study different styles of modern and historic architecture abroad. Satoshi all too eagerly agreed to go to Japan with his team, who were also willing to travel around the world. Two of his colleagues were especially close to him; their daughters were Sara's best friends.

David Gregory had two daughters, one Sara's age and one a year younger. Teresa was the older and had short light brown hair and hazel eyes. She acted very mature for her age but was very sensitive and open with her emotions, so she made friends easily. Katherine, or Katie, was the younger, who looked almost identical to her sister with the exception of her hair, which flowed down just below her waist. She had a firey personality and was quick to act (sometimes too quick) and always spoke what was on her mind.

Mark Connelly had three daughters and a son, but only one daughter (the oldest) came with him to Japan. The other children chose to live with their mother (they had divorced several years ago). The girl, Sadie, was Sara's age and was also her oldest friend. She was part Spanish and was teased because of her heritage. Sara befriended her immediately because she also had split cultures. Sadie had thick dark brown hair cut just above her shoulders and deep brown eyes to match. The Mexican side of her was firey like Katie, but she also had a healthy mix of compassion and protectiveness when it came to her friends.

Sara balanced them all out fairly well. She was shorter than the rest (barely) so in respect to her roots her friends lovingly referred to her as Sara-chan. Her hair was a sandy blonde color and waved slightly at the ends. Her eyes were green with a slight bluish tint. She was quiet and shy and respectful, but as of late her attitude had unexplainably shifted to BRAT when she was around her parents. Despite her love for the oriental country, it was unbearably hard to leave her homeland, so she felt anger towards them. But as soon as she was alone, she returned to the quiet, good-natured girl she had always been. She felt sort of bad about the way she treated her family, but she just couldn't stop herself.

And so the three men decided to move together, to keep their inseparable daughters together and to further their foreign knowledge of art and architecture. The houses they purchased were all within walking distance of each other. Within three weeks, the families were more or less settled, now taking the time to relax and meet other people in the neighborhood.

…

"Are you sure we should be in here?"

"Yeah, this place looks pretty unstable, like it could collapse at any second…"

"Oh quit your whining you big babies. It's just an old well," Sara said to the two Gregory sisters, who stood hesitantly at the entrance to the shrine. Sadie was curiously inspecting the little slips of paper decorating the wood surface while Sara was coaxing the other girls to join them.

"What are these things again?" Sadie asked, poking one cautiously. "I know you've told us before, but I can't remember the exact pronunciation…"

"Sutras," the blonde girl replied in a dull voice, like she'd rehearsed the words a thousand times, "that're supposed to repel evil demons from coming through. My great-great-grandfather sure had a wild imagination." Her hand hovered over one of the spells momentarily, as if about to touch it, but withdrew quickly.

"Do you think that's true? That the spells are the only things keeping demons from coming back through?" Teresa asked in awe. She had always been a supernatural fanatic.

"No, that's just a story. Demons and monsters and evil spirits don't exist," Sadie said matter-of-factly, dusting off her hands.

"Sadie, don't touch them!" Katie cried, running to shove her hands away from the well.

"What's the matter? Afraid?" Sadie challenged.

"No, but still! It's way too creepy in here…and dusty."

"Yeah, I can't breathe. Let's go back into the house and watch TV or something," Teresa suggested, turning to face the stairs.

Sara frowned in disappointment at her friends. "But I thought you wanted to see the well my dad all told us about when we were younger."

"Yeah we see it, let's—"

"Just admit it! You're weirded out by it!" Sara said. She walked dramatically over to the well and hoisted herself up on it, crossing her legs and arms defiantly.

"EEP! You're cursed now! You're going to be haunted by demon spirits for all eternity!" Teresa cried. After a few seconds of stunned silence all four girls burst out laughing, muttering in between giggles what kind of monster would visit them in the night.

As soon as Sara had touched the well, the sutras had trembled and slowly disintegrated into ashes while the girls laughed. A strange wind seemed to stir in the small room, making the girls' hair stand on end. A low rumble emitted from the little wooden well, starting out as a painful creak then growing into almost a roar.

The girls stumbled backwards and forwards and every other direction as the whole place started to tremble. "What the heck is going on!" Sadie demanded, latching on to the wall for support.

Teresa screamed and fell to her knees, rocking back and forth. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" she muttered, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

Katie made her way over to her sister and kneeled over her. "Sara, if this is some sort of joke, it isn't funny! Please stop!"

Sara was gripping the edge of the well so hard her knuckles were white, as was her face. "I have no idea what's going on! Everybody get out of here!"

The words hardly left her lips when the sound of splintering wood crashed from behind them. They all turned just in time to see the top of the well being torn off and thrown through the air. Sara barely had time to duck as it sailed just inches over her head and smashed into thousands of pieces against the wall behind her.

Teresa and Katie screamed hysterically. Sara just stood there in her stooped position, feeling sort of numb. _That could have been me…_ she thought incredulously.

"Are you all right!" Sadie cried, the panic apparent in her abnormally high voice.

Sara nodded weakly. "I think so," she had to yell to be heard over the strange roar and the now ravenous wind. She was cut off by more cries of terror and turned around only to let out a terrified scream of her own. Emerging from the well was something large, green, and scaly. It looked cylindrical but tapered to a point at its tip. After thrashing about wildly for a moment, the whatever-it-was shot forward, knocking Sara off her feet with such force that she flew several feet through the air and skidded to a stop after a painful landing on her side.

The other girls screamed, watching in helpless horror as their friend crashed to the ground. Sadie, who was the closest, ran forward, yelling in rage, and sunk her nails into the creepy tentacle-like thing, planning to rip it apart. She hardly penetrated the surface though, for she found the scales were as hard as rocks. She heard a strange noise like air leaking out of a balloon and the thing wrapped around her arm, lifted her into the air, and threw her against a wall, nearly knocking her unconscious. Katie and Teresa could hardly move, just watching in shock that froze them like ice.

The thing released Sadie, who collapsed to the ground with a hollow thud, and moved slowly to Sara, who hadn't moved. It coiled slowly around her waist and lifted her, pulling her lifeless body towards the well.

"Oh no you don't!" Katie cried with a sudden rage that melted her frozen fear into flaming courage. She grabbed Sara's arms and tried to pull her away from the beastlike thing, only to feel her feet sliding from under her. She suddenly felt arms wrap around her waist. Teresa grabbed her sister and began pulling also. "Plant your feet!" she said, trying to hide the strain in her voice. "We can't let it get her!"

Sadie, who was just barely conscious, slowly pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled over to the well and took hold of Sara's arm with one hand and Teresa's middle with the other. The three of them pulled with all their might. The evil coiled thing of death **(author note: MWAHA! Thing of death… ahem…okay continue)** began pulling even harder as well. It became a painful tug-of-war match between three teenage girls and a giant green tentacle. Quite suddenly, with one terrifyingly strong jerk, the thing yanked the three girls off their feet and into the well. Still holding onto Sara and each other, they screamed and began kicking the thing with their now unoccupied feet.

Busy with their struggles, none of them noticed Sara's eyes flutter open. Trying to ignore the almost unbearable pain in her ribs, she noticed the green scaly thing wrapped around her middle. She took a deep breath of air to scream, but stopped short at the pain that this simple action caused. Staring helplessly at it, and feeling it tighten uncomfortably around her, she followed it with her eyes; it was long and winding…no, coiling…it was slightly yellowish on one side. She continued to follow it until she found herself staring into two enormous glowing yellow eyes. The eyes were attached to a wide, flat head with two slits for a nose and dangerously sharp fangs, dripping with a yellowish liquid. She was staring into the eyes of an enormous and angry looking snake!

This time even her pain couldn't stop her scream. The other girls looked up, surprised that their friend was awake. "You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" Teresa exclaimed in a relieved tone.

"What are you staring at…AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Katie's voice echoed strangely as she finally noticed the giant snake.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Sadie cried.

"What's going on?" Sara cried desperately. She noticed they were surrounded by a bluish glow and seemed to be floating. "Where are we?"

"In the well…I think," Teresa said, her voice trembling. The others seemed to have not noticed any of this before.

"Enough senseless talking."

They heard an unfamiliar voice, that seemed to be accompanied by a rasping hiss. Looking around, they heard it again, laughing and hissing maliciously.

"That snake…is talking!" Katie yelled in a high-pitched voice. Looking up, they realized this was true, for as the voice laughed the snake's tongue flicked in and out.

"You foolish humans," the snake continued, narrowing its piercing yellow eyes. "You should not have decided to take me on in battle. Now you shall all have to die. But first…" Its gaze drifted to the girl in its tight grasp. "..You have something I want. Give it to me."

Sara began to shiver in fear. "W-what? What are you talking about? I don't have anything!" she insisted, searching her mind desperately for anything this giant snake could possibly want from her.

"You have it. I thought it had disappeared from existence long before my father's time, but I can sense it. Give it to me or I will extract it from you myself." The snake flicked its tongue at the trembling girl, touching her cheek and running it down to her neck.

Sara squeezed her eyes shut, repulsed, and jerked away. "EWW! Let go of me! Get away!" she screamed, and she began to struggle violently, tortured by the pain in her ribs.

Sadie and Katie began to resume their kicking at the beast while Teresa tried to pry Sara's coils loose the slightest bit so she could wriggle out. That didn't work out so well.

About this time the five of them started to feel the effects of gravity and the bluish glow ceased. They all hit the ground, which was warm and mushy like soil and dust. The impact seemed to affect even the great snake, which loosened its grip on Sara ever so slightly. She shot out of its clutches like she just sat on a nail, and began to climb some old vines that were growing along the sides of the well. Her chest was hurting like nothing she had ever felt before, but her adrenaline was pumping so hard she couldn't stop. _Just keep moving,_ she kept telling herself. _Keep moving and praying. Moving and praying…_ She could hear and feel her heart pounding in her chest, which worsened the pain, and she heard her friend's cries of "keep going!" and "don't give up!" and the snake's angry hiss as it realized it had been fooled. She felt something **(one guess what)** grab her leg but with one last pull she freed herself and launched herself over the edge of the well.

Looking around though, she began to wonder if she had really been in the well at all.

She had fallen to her knees not at the foot of the dusty stairs that led out of the small shrine room, but on soft, warm grass. She found herself looking at a pure turquoise sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, framed by tall, strong trees and other shrubs and bushes and plantlife. It was like stepping into a nature documentary about what Japan was like before it was industrialized. It appeared that she was on the edge of a dense forest, and she could hear birds, squirrels, and other wildlife twitting about from within its protective barrier of branches. Confused, she forcefully pushed herself to her feet and looked around her in all directions. "…huh?" she couldn't help but mutter under her breath. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.

Just then she heard a hiss behind her and turned, seeing the giant serpent charging out of the well right toward her. Sara heard more cries of "hurry!" and "run!" from inside the well. She hesitated for only a fraction of a second to glance at the opening of the well, wanting to help her friends, but the snake snapped at her, barely missing her right shoulder, so she decided to worry about that later. She took off as fast as her bruised ribs would allow and ran down what looked like a path of some kind. _This thing only seems to be after me,_ she thought, trying to increase or at least maintain her speed, _so maybe if I run away, the others can get back safely._ With these thoughts urging her on, she leapt over a fallen log, once again barely avoiding the speeding serpent's swift strike. **(Say that five times fast. I dare ya.)**

…

A boy sat in the topmost branches of a tree, his arms folded behind his inclined head. With his eyes closed, his other senses seemed more alert. He always wondered why this was. He learned long ago that sometimes you couldn't always trust your eyes. The memory of that long forgotten incident stung his heart. He pushed it away quickly. _I promised her I wouldn't cry…_

A faint noise caught his attention. His ears twitched as he focused in on it, his brow furrowed in curious concentration. It got louder…it sounded like running footsteps and something dragging the ground. A really heavy something. A scream sliced through the peaceful murmur of the forest, and about a hundred birds scattered out of a nearby tree. He opened his amber eyes tentatively and rose to his feet, his right hand automatically hovering above the handle of his sword. He detected movement in the bushes just below him to the right, and the source of all the commotion suddenly burst forth into the clearing.

It was a human girl, running unsteadily like she was off balance. She held her side like it was injured. Directly behind her was a huge snake demon, its tongue lashing out furiously, slowly gaining on the girl. She looked behind her quickly and gasped, seeing how much closer the reptile had gotten. She suddenly stumbled, her exhausted legs unable to carry her any farther, and fell face first into the grassy carpet. Rolling herself onto her back, she screamed as the snake lunged at her, jaws wide open with the lethal fangs ready to tear her to pieces.

Suddenly a figure leapt down from above, striking the snake with a force that sent it flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. It sunk to the ground in a crumpled heap, then shook its ugly head and charged at its new unwanted opponent. The figure drew a sword, which transformed into a huge fang, and leapt into the air. As the snake lunged, the sword was raised above its master's head, then brought down swiftly, neatly slicing the reptilious demon down the middle.

Sara shrieked as the two halves of the snake fell on either side of her. Looking up with a wild jerk of her head, she saw her savior as he descended back to earth after his triumphant kill. It was a boy that looked only a few years older than herself. He had strangely long silver hair flowing out behind him as he fell. He was looking at her with oddly handsome amber eyes, with thin slits for pupils. He wore a red kimono and his feet were bare. As he made contact with the ground, he sheathed his huge sword, which returned to normal size, and stared fixedly at her.

The girl stared back at him with wide, fear-filled eyes. He found her very odd looking. She had gold hair, whereas all other human females he had ever seen had black hair. Her eyes were strange too; they were pale green like the ocean instead of brown. Her skin was just barely darker too. She wore a pink shirt and strange blue pants. Wait a minute, he had seen those kinds of clothes before, but only in one place. His eyes widened.

"You came from the well, didn't you?" he demanded harshly.

She looked startled. "W-what?"

"Did-you-come-from-the-well?" he asked slowly, pronouncing each syllable with annoyed exaggeration.

The strange girl nodded. "Well, yeah. That huge snake came out of the well and dragged my friends and me to this weird place…"

"What! There are more of you?" he demanded with a hint of annoyance.

Just then three girls came up from behind him. "Sara!" they called in unison. Sara and the strange boy turned to look at them. They ran past him as if he weren't there and went straight to Sara.

"Oh thank goodness you're all right!" Teresa cried, collapsing into Sara's arms and sobbing with relief.

"We thought for sure that it had gotten you after we couldn't hear your screams!" Katie burst out, also kneeling beside her friend, putting a hand on her back.

Sadie's lip trembled, like she was about to cry. "Don't…don't ever do that to me again!" she yelled, fighting back her tears. "I thought you were dead! I would've killed myself if something had happened to you!" She practically fell on Sara and buried her face in the poor girl's shoulder, finally letting go over her restrained emotion.

"Feh! You bunch of weaklings were afraid of that little demon?"

They looked up, apparently noticing the boy for the first time.

"He was no big deal compared to most of the creeps roaming around these parts. You'd better get back to the well and forget about this place." He pouted sternly, staring at each of them with a commanding air.

"Hey, who are you?" Sadie asked rather rudely.

"And how do you know we came out of that well?" Katie asked.

Sara was studying him closely, while trying to pry Teresa off of her throbbing bruised ribs. She suddenly noticed something very peculiar about him. "What the…you have dog ears and fangs!" she exclaimed.

The aforementioned ears twitched slightly. He frowned, apparently upset by this remark. "Yeah, what of it? I got claws too. You want me to show you how they work?" he asked, cracking his knuckles ominously.

"Hey, wait just one minute! You just saved me! Why are you suddenly threatening me?" Sara asked.

"This rude guy saved you?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah…he sliced that snake in half just a minute ago," she replied, pointing to the severed body lying around her.

The girls recoiled in disgust at the dead body.

"You really need to go back to where you came from. How did you get through here anyway?" he asked impatiently.

"I told you, that giant snake pulled us through," Sara replied.

"But how did the snake get through? What happened to the sutras that were on there?" he demanded.

"Sutras…oh those paper things…they were there all right, but then something weird happened and they disappeared," Katie said.

"Disappeared?"

"Yes. Then that snake came out of the well and grabbed Sara," Teresa said.

The boy looked like he was in deep thought. "It must have taken someone with great powers to destroy those seals. They were placed there by _her_ brother…he was the strongest priest I had ever known besides that lecherous monk…"

Sara assumed he was talking about her great-great-grandfather Sota. Suddenly her eyes got wide as she had a flashback from her young childhood. As the boy in red stood there scratching his head, she remembered her grandfather showing her a picture that Sota had drawn when he was only in third grade. It was a badly done drawing of his hero, the brave dog warrior. The warrior was dressed all in red, had white hair and doggy ears, and a huge sword like a fang. Sara stared at the boy in front of her in amazement.

"It can't be…" she mumbled. "You must be though, there's no mistaking the likeness!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

"You're the one from my great-great-grandfather's stories! You're the great dog warrior!"

He looked at her like she had lost her mind then got a weird look on his face. "Hey…the little brat used to call me that. But how did you know?"

They looked at each other for a minute, one in disbelief, the other in wonder.

"Hold the phone…you're not talking about those old stories your dad used to tell us?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah…they were just made-up," Katie said.

"But you remember don't you?" Sara asked eagerly. "There was a brave, silver-haired dog warrior who fought demons and fell in love with the girl who traveled through time! Oh what was her name…?"

"…Kagome."

The dog boy's eyes had misted over. His expression was soft and wistful, unlike the hardness and rudeness he had shown before. His now clenched fists trembled.

"Yes. That was it. Kagome…" Sara said softly. "You are him, aren't you. The dog warrior from the stories. They were real…they were actually…real…" Sara suddenly toppled over onto the ground, drained by fatigue and shock, her bruised ribs and injured head finally forcing her into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were haunted by a faceless presence, trying to take something from her, torturing her and her friends until she couldn't take it anymore. What could that mean? What was going to happen…?

…

**Well I hope you liked it so far. I told you, a little boring at first, but I felt it really needed to be explained. The next chapter will be sort of fluffy and full of just plain old light hearted fun! (and jealousy…) Then chapter three……well, you'll just have to wait and see! Oh, by the way, the bold parenthesis are my little comments that I like to make, they have nothing to do with the story. Well, they do, they're comments ON the story, but they aren't relevant…YOU KNOW WHAY I MEAN! Please review so I'll know what to work on!**


	3. Getting To Know You

**Chapter Two: Getting To Know You…**

Sara rolled over fitfully. For some reason she couldn't move very much. She felt trapped. She cracked one eye open slowly. No wonder. She was tangled up in a sheet_. Ugh…I must have had a nightmare. My head feels like someone dropped a hammer on it! _She tried to sit up but it was as if someone had stuck a knife in her rib cage. She let out a strangled yelp and fell back on her pillow.

"Hey. You okay?"

She opened both of her eyes and saw a pair of amber ones staring back at her. Startled, she tried to scoot backwards, but only succeeded in bending over in pain again.

"Hey, stop moving! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Now she recognized this guy. Her memory returned and she glanced at him warily.

"You…I remember…what happened? Where am I?" she stammered. She didn't recognize this place. She was laying on the ground on a mat. The floors were made of old wood and the walls were covered with traditional wall hangings like she had only seen in museums. They were so beautiful…the most beautiful she had ever seen. The color was much richer and less faded than the ones in the museum.

"This is the castle of some lord who agreed to let you rest here. He has a staff of pretty strong healers who have been taking care of you while you were unconscious."

"How long was I out?"

"About three days."

"What! Oh, that's great." Sara laid there in a dazed irritation. Three days…her parents must be worried sick. She sat up suddenly. "My parents! They don't know where I am!" She clutched her sides and groaned.

"I TOLD you not to move, damnit! Geez, don't you listen?" The dog boy grabbed her by the arm, supporting her. After a moment, the pain eased and she relaxed a little. She looked up at his face, her eyes giving him a silent thank you. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Inuyasha," he replied. He got that weird look again. "You said something about a girl who traveled through time. What were you talking about?"

"My great-great-grandfather told these amazing stories to all of his kids and grandkids and even great-grandkids. I never knew him…he died when my dad was just a little boy. The stories were about his sister who used an old well to travel back in time to fight demons. There, she met and fell in love with a brave dog warrior with a fang sword. I assume that's you," she said.

He nodded. "Yeah…that's pretty much how it was back then…who was this great-great-whatever-grandfather of yours?"

"He was my grandfather's grandfather. And his name was Sota Higurashi."

Inuyasha smiled a little. "Yeah, that was her little brother. He was always following me around, asking if he could hold my sword or go with me to fight a demon. Kinda annoying really."

Sara giggled softly. "What?" he asked accusingly.

"Oh nothing. It's just…I can't believe all those stories were true. I grew up wanting them to be real so badly, and now they are…" She looked him over quickly. "But this happened almost 80 years ago. You still look like you're just a bit older than me. How is that?"

He grunted. "I'm a demon. We don't age like you humans do."

Sara gasped. "A demon?" She didn't remember that being part of the story.

He glared at her. "Yeah, what of it?"

Her face reddened faintly. "Uh, nothing." She averted her eyes downward. "…Um?" she started uneasily.

"What is it now?" he demanded. He followed her gaze and realized he was still holding her arm. He dropped it quickly and scooted away from her. "Geez, you're so damn pathetic. A few bruised ribs and you can hardly sit up. You're just like—"

He cut off suddenly, and lowered his face, his bushy hair covering his eyes.

Sara debated a long time before asking her next question. "Um, Inuyasha?" she began slowly. "The part in the story about you and that girl- Kagome- is it true? Did you fall in love with her?" she asked softly.

He didn't move. He didn't make any indication that he heard her. He sat with his legs and arms crossed, looking away from her at the floor.

Just then the paneled door slid open and three girls scurried inside. "Oh good. You're awake," Teresa sighed.

"You feeling better?" Sadie asked, kneeling by Sara and feeling her forehead.

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"You look flushed. Do you have a fever?" Katie asked concernedly. Sara only got redder at this.

Inuyasha stood up. "I'm going outside," he announced gruffly and proceeded to practically slam the door behind him.

"What's up with him?" Katie wondered aloud.

Sara looked at the door sadly. _I should have known better than to ask…it really was kind of a personal question now that I think about it. _She sighed. "So, where are we exactly? Inuyasha didn't really do the best job explaining."

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, that's his name. Didn't he tell you?"

Sadie shrugged. "We didn't ask. We were too concerned about you."

"Well anyway, this huge place belongs to a really powerful lord. One of his servants was traveling through the woods looking for firewood when he saw us and listened to our story," Teresa explained. "He offered the medical care of his master's healers and led us here. The lord graciously accepted us in and the healing women immediately got to work on you."

Sara just noticed that she was wearing a simple white kimono, one normally used for sleeping. "Oh…I can feel the bandages now. They did a good job, despite the lack of technology and medical science."

Sadie looked concerned. "That's why we want to get you home as soon as possible. You need proper treatment."

Sara looked hurt. "But…but we just got here. Can't we stay for a while? I mean, how many other girls get the chance to go back in time? We should at least be able to experience this!"

"But you need real doctors and medicine! These people don't know anything past what they see with their bare eyes!" Sadie argued. "For all we know, there could be more to your injuries than just bruised ribs!"

"You don't give these people enough credit, Sadie," Sara said, slightly hurt at the bashing her almost-native people were receiving- and from her best friend. "I agree that they might not have the best medical knowledge, but they do a great job with what they do have."

"Then you'll come back home and go to the hospital?" Katie asked hopefully.

Sara considered her wild interest in exploring this new world vs. the throbbing pain in her side. "Well…how about if we spend just a few days here, see what there is to see, and then go back home? That way we'll all get what we want."

"I believe that will be the best idea, miss," said a voice from the doorway.

The girls turned around and saw a man standing silhouetted in the door. He was tall and thin and was dressed in a very regal looking kimono **(I really don't know what else those things are called! I think the pants are called _hakama_, but that's it! if anyone knows the proper name please let me know!)**. He had straight, silky black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail that fell to the middle of his back. His eyes were light brown and were soft and kind looking. He smiled graciously and bowed his head slightly. "I hope I am not intruding, but I felt obligated to see how my injured guest was faring." He walked slowly over to the girls, carrying himself with a regal and confident air. The four girls couldn't help but blush.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked with a smile.

"N-no, no, of course not," Sara stuttered, his warm smile only making her blush more. He was so handsome…

"Then may I sit? I would like to ask some questions of you."

"Sure, go ahead!" Sadie said eagerly, scooting over to make room for him. He sat down with his legs folded. Katie, Teresa, and Sadie rearranged so that the five formed a little circle.

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, but I am inclined to agree with your suggestion," he said, nodding his head in Sara's direction. "I must insist that you stay here for a time while you heal. Traveling any great distance wouldn't be wise for you."

"I appreciate your concern," Sara said, bowing her head in respect. "Forgive me, but I don't know your name…I assume you're the lord of this castle?"

He looked surprised for a moment. "How very rude of me! Yes, I am the lord of the castle, since my father passed away last year." The girls each expressed their sorrow at his loss. "My name is Hiruka Takeo. And the rest of you…?"

"Sadie."

"Katie."

"Teresa."

"Sara."

He looked at them quizzically. "You aren't from this land, are you?"

"No, we aren't," Teresa admitted.

"You have very odd names," he said, with the utmost respect in his voice, to let them know he wasn't offending them. "Where _are_ you from?"

The girls looked at one another, unsure of what to say. 'We were dragged back in time through a well' doesn't exactly make for a good first impression.

In the end it was Katie who saved the day. "We, um, are travelers from…across the ocean," she stammered.

"Across the ocean? Really?" he asked, interested. "How fascinating. What is the name of your land?"

"America," Sadie replied quickly.

"Hmm." He sat in thought for a moment, his eyes directed towards the floor. "I've never heard of it. You must have come a great distance."

"You have _no_ idea…" Katie mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing!" Katie insisted quickly.

"So tell me," he said, looking at Sara, "how were you injured so seriously? My servant said he found the four of you wandering around in the company of a demon. Since the demon was carrying you, he assumed that he was the one who had done it. That's why we were reluctant to let him in."

_Inuyasha? Carrying me?_ Sara wondered curiously. _Did he actually help me? I thought he hated me… _"Oh…it was a demon, but not Inuyasha. It was a giant snake demon, and it threw me around a bit and crushed my ribs."

"Oh, you poor girl…do you have any inclination why?"

She looked at the wall blankly. "No…it said something about taking something from me, but I don't have any idea what."

He nodded solemnly. "So…this Inuyasha, the demon you arrived with, he is not dangerous?"

"To be honest…I don't really know. We've only just met him," Teresa admitted. "But since he helped rescue Sara from the snake, I trust him pretty well I guess."

"Oh, he is the one who saved you?"

"Yes…if it weren't for him, I would be dead," Sara said, shivering slightly.

"Well then, I must thank him later," the young lord said with a flashing smile. Sara looked away, blushing furiously. Sadie and Katie tried hard to suppress giggles.

"Um, Lord Hiruka?" Teresa asked tentatively.

"Please, call me Takeo," he insisted pleasantly.

"All right, _Lord_ Takeo," Teresa said, refusing to be so informal, "are you sure you don't mind us staying here? We would like to stay by Sara, to make sure she's okay."

He laughed. It was a kind, hearty laugh. "Why of course! There is plenty of room in this huge castle. Sometimes I feel it is too big and empty. Actually, it will be nice having some new company…especially such lovely company as yourselves."

The girls giggled with flattered embarrassment. A man came strolling in through the door. "Milord," he said boredly.

Lord Takeo turned around with a slightly annoyed look on his face. "Yes?"

"The messengers you sent to the west are back. They said they had good news."

Lord Takeo sighed deeply. "Unfortunately, my ladies, a lord's duty beckons me away for the moment." He stood to leave, and the girls (except Sara, who could hardly sit up as it was) stood with him. "Please excuse me. I shall return when you are feeling better." He made his way over to the door and glanced back. "Get some rest," he said. It was either a stern request or a kind command. He smiled that handsome smile at Sara and softly shut the door behind him.

Sara didn't need a mirror to tell her she was red as an apple. The other girls giggled and plopped back down beside her. "Looks like you have a not-so-secret admierer!" Sadie said slyly.

"Yes! He obviously likes you," Teresa said, smiling giddily.

"Gosh! He's so handsome! I'm jealous," Katie said, propping her chin in her palm.

"Y-ya think?" Sara said, though it was kind of obvious to her too. Or maybe it was just his job as a young man of power to be charming and flirtatious. Either way, she really liked the attention.

"Well, gorgeous or not, he's right. You need rest. So get yourself back down on that pallet and hop to it," Sadie commanded, gently pushing her friend down to the floor and covering her with the blanket.

"But I just woke up!"

"Uh-uh. Not another word. We'll be back in a little while," Katie said, standing up and heading to the door.

"You really do need the rest," Teresa said in a calming tone. "We'll come back with some food later."

"Ugh." Was all Sara had to say. The girls slid the paneled door open and found themselves face to face with a pair of wide amber eyes. Blinking confusedly, they watched in bewilderment as the dog-eared boy went red in the face, turned up his nose, and stomped away, muttering something about "weak pathetic humans and their emotions." Pretending they hadn't seen a thing, the girls crept out silently, leaving poor little Sara staring at the ceiling, bored, in pain, and suddenly very hungry.

…**TWO DAYS LATER**…

"How on earth am I ever going to get out of here!" Sara's groan of frustration echoed through the large hallway of the empty castle. She had been wandering around the corridors for almost half an hour and she couldn't find her way back to her room. "All I wanted to do was stretch my legs and look for something to eat! I should have just stayed where I was and starved…" Never had she been in such a large place. She was about to turn around and try to retrace her steps…again…when she heard something.

It sounded like a voice…whoever it was sounded like they were in pain…or angry. The shouts were coming from directly in front of her. Sara hesitated. _Should I go see what it is or just turn around? I mean, it really is none of my business…but what if someone is hurt? _Finally her curiosity won the fight and she crept slowly forward, the voice getting louder. She found the door from which the shouts were emitting and carefully pressed her ear to the door. She heard more angry shouts, and several loud thuds. A swishing sound followed the yells. Becoming more and more curious, Sara gulped and slowly slid the door open a tiny crack.

She could barely see anything. Just an empty room. She opened it a bit more…then a bit more…suddenly her hand slipped and she grabbed on to the door for support, pushing it all the way open loudly. Letting out a terrified gasp, she jumped backwards and clamped her hand over her mouth.

In the room, there was a man with his back to her. He was in a kenjutsu training outfit. He turned slowly to face her…It was Lord Takeo. He was looking at her in shock. He had a wooden training sword gripped tightly in his hands and he was panting heavily, his face glistening with sweat. He cleared his throat nervously. "Umm…may I help you?"

Sara was beet red in the face, her hand still over her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to, honest! I just got lost and I heard something and thought I would find someone to help me…" she rambled on and on apologetically.

"It's okay, calm down," he said in a placating voice, slowly lowering the bokken and walking towards her. "Slow down and tell me what's the matter."

She looked away from him, embarrassed. _Great, I just made a huge fool of myself! _She took a deep breath. "I, um, left my room to get some exercise and to look for some food…I was getting sort of hungry…and I got sort of lost and then I couldn't find my way back to my room. That's when I heard you in here and…" she trailed off slowly, looking at him. "What exactly were you doing, anyway?"

He looked down at himself. He smiled a slightly nervous smile. "My apologies for looking so disheveled in front of you. I was just practicing my kenjutsu it's good exercise and it helps me to relax."

Sara looked in fascination at the wooden sword in his hand. She had often read about kenjutsu in her dad's old history books when she was little. She remembered her father trying to show her some of the moves in their living room, and the quick trip to the chiropractor later that afternoon. She had always loved to watch the old tapes of her dad's kenjutsu class. _This must be where the modern version of it originated… _she thought in awe.

He noticed her intrigued look. "Are you familiar with kenjutsu?" he asked.

Sara looked up. "Um, well a little. My father used to practice it some before I was born, and he told me about it. It's really fascinating."

He smiled. "Would you like to watch me practice?" he offered.

Her eyes lit up. "C-can I? You wouldn't mind?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course not. I'm almost finished, anyway. I don't really have a lot of time for this with all my duties now that I'm the lord of the Hiruka castle, but the time I do get is really helping me." He turned and assumed a fighting stance. "I get so stressed sometimes, it feels like I could just run away and never come back. But I couldn't do that to my people…the servants here are like my family." He stopped suddenly and looked around at her. "I'm sorry, am I rambling? I didn't mean to bore you."

Sara shook her head. "Oh no, not at all. It's nice to have someone to talk to. I'm alone most of the day in my room."

He smiled. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" Sara grinned back. "If it's all right, I would like to come and visit you more often. I could use the company also."

"That would be nice," Sara said quietly.

"Good. It's settled then. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll show you some of the techniques I use to relieve stress." He got into another position and began doing some rhythmic swings with his bokken.

Sara walked across the room and was about to sit down on a little mat in the corner when she saw some wall hangings and a display of several types of swords. She walked over to them and picked one up carefully. It was heavier than she expected.

"Those were my father's," Takeo said proudly. "He taught me everything I know."

"Wow…" Sara muttered in awe.

"Yes…he was a master swordsman and sword smith. He made every single sword he ever used."

Sara looked up quickly. "Really? That's amazing! He made all these, too?"

"Yes, he did. I only use ones he made as well. It makes me feel close to him even though he's gone." He walked over beside her and picked up one of the swords, whose hilt was decorated with silver that was twisted into curls and waves. "This one's my favorite. It was the last sword he ever made…before he fell suddenly ill. These silver patterns here represent the rise and fall of many Hiruka lords, but the silver represents their impact on the land, because it doesn't tarnish very easily."

Sara was watching his face with wonder. He got such a heavenly, far-off look in his eyes when he talked about his father. He must have loved him very much…

"That's so amazing…I wish I could leave a lasting impression like that. I don't really have any special talents…" she said.

"That can't possibly be true!" he said. "Someone like you has to have an extraordinary array of talents and abilities."

_Someone…like me? What does he mean by that?_ she wondered. "Um…I didn't mean to interrupt your practice, you can continue," she said, deciding to change the subject.

He looked towards a window. "It's fine. I probably need to be stopping soon anyway. They will be wondering what happened to you as well. Would you like me to show you back to your room?"

"Yes, please. I'd much appreciate it," Sara said gratefully.

"Just let me get cleaned up…I'm sure I look a fright." He laid down his bokken and walked into an adjacent room. Sara heard some splashing water and assumed he was rinsing off and changing into clean clothes.

She went over to his wooden sword and picked it up. She gripped it tightly in her hands like he was doing earlier. Trying to mimic his stance, she swung the bokken forcefully, then brought it back down. She liked the way it felt in her hand. She felt sort of silly and knew perfectly well she wasn't doing it right, but she was having a bit of fun for the first time in ages. She started traveling across the room, swinging the wooden sword rhythmically, her feet moving randomly. She started seeing it as kind of a dance and began exaggerating her movements like a choreographed dance. She closed her eyes and felt the swooshing of the sword and the movement of her body fill her up and sooth her. This must be what Takeo was talking about…

Something told her to open her eyes. She did and saw Lord Takeo standing in the doorway, staring at her with a slight twinge of amusement. She froze in mid-swing. She let out a nervous giggle and smiled awkwardly. Suddenly, with a twist of her torso, she felt her ribs practically cry out in pain. She moaned loudly and fell to the floor, clutching her sides tightly.

"Lady Sara?" Lord Takeo asked urgently, rushing to kneel beside her. He put his arms around her and helped her to sit up. She was breathing heavily and with a bit of difficulty. "Are you all right?"

Sara gulped back a whimper and nodded weakly. She completely forgot about her bruised ribs. She felt so helpless and weak all of a sudden. He pulled her in close to him. She rested gently against his chest, feeling his arms around her protectively. Her heart began to beat faster and she slightly forgot about the pain.

"You probably shouldn't have been moving around like that. Your injuries are still fresh; you have to give them time to heal." He patted her back lightly. "But I have to admit, I was quite enjoying myself watching you."

Sara blushed a bright red. "I…didn't think anyone was looking…I feel so foolish. Don't laugh at me!" she said accusingly, noticing he was chuckling.

"I'm not making fun of you! I actually thought it was very good. You are quite graceful." He smiled a dashing smile and Sara had no choice but to forgive him. He looked across the room, in deep thought, for a few moments. "Would you…" he began slowly. "…would you like me to teach you kenjutsu?"

Sara sat up and looked at him curiously. "What? Me, really?"

"Sure. Traditionally, women aren't supposed to learn, but I think you can do it. Once you heal properly, that is." Sara grinned sheepishly. "It will have to be secret though…if anyone here found out that I was teaching a woman the ancient sword arts, we would both be in a huge amount of trouble. Do you think you can do it?"

Sara nodded vigorously. "I would be so very honored to learn it. Especially from you, since you had such a great teacher."

He bowed his head in appreciation. "All right. When do the nurses come to check on you?"

"Before and after every meal, and sometimes during the afternoon. Why?"

"We shall have to plan a time to meet every day so I can teach you. We'll work around them, and your friends. I'll think of something and come tell you tomorrow."

"Thank you…" was all Sara could say. She was having one of those "all my dreams are coming true!" moments.

"HEY WOMAN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Lord Takeo and Sara nearly jumped twenty feet in the air as the loud shout boomed through the hall. A silver-haired head peeked in the door and then the whole body marched right in behind it. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Inuyasha?" Sara blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

He pouted. "No, I just left to get something to eat. I'm not done with you yet, woman."

Sara pouted this time. "I have a name you know. And it's not 'woman."

Inuyasha suddenly got that weird look on his face again. _That's…that's exactly what Kagome said to me when we first met…_ he thought sadly. _She acts so much like her…it's so weird…like she's still here with me…_

Lord Takeo waved his hand in front of Inuyasha's face. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha snapped out of his little world and slapped Takeo's hand away rudely. "Yeah, I'm fine! Come on, let's go." He grabbed Sara's arm and pulled her up, taking her with him as he strolled out of the room.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, stumbling along behind him. "What are you doing? That hurts! In case you don't remember, I have bruised ribs!"

He stopped walking so fast and loosened his grip. "Sorry," he grunted quietly.

"What was so important that you had to drag me away like that?" she asked.

"Well, I…um…wanted to ask you about your family. Like what all happened after Kagome left," he sputtered out quickly.

"Oh…well…sure I'll tell you. But will you tell me more about your adventures with Kagome?" She was eager to hear more detail about what happened. What _really_ happened.

"Oh…sure I guess…" He wasn't sure he was quite ready to talk about Kagome yet…maybe hearing about her family would help him get started though. Looking behind him at the girl's face, he saw clearly things that reminded him of her. This girl had Kagome's eyes. They were green instead of brown, but they had that gentle, caring warmth that Kagome's had. She talked like Kagome, acted like Kagome, was about as tall as Kagome…

He noticed Sara was giving him a strange look so he turned back around quickly. But not quickly enough. He walked right into a closed door, smashing his nose and causing him to cry out in pain. His hands flew to his nose and he began cursing violently under his breath.

Sara couldn't help it. She giggled quietly, then the giggle grew into a loud laugh, which was quite painful. Inuyasha turned sharply and glared at her. "THAT'S NOT FUNY!" he roared. "I didn't want to hear your stupid stories anyway!" He threw the door open, ripping it off its hinges (**do those kind of doors have hinges!**), and jumped outside, dashing across the gardens surrounding the castle and into the nearby forest. Sara was left in shock, hurt by his rudeness but still feeling a little guilty about laughing. But it was funny. So she started laughing again.

…MEANWHILE…

Lord Takeo was still sitting on the floor, staring at the door where Inuyasha and Sara had disappeared, with a bewildered look on his face. (**For those of you who are familiar with Rurouni Kenshin, it's a little look I'd like to call the 'Oro' face. **)

…

**Well, there you have it. Chapter Two. WHOO HOO! The end's a little rushed, sorry. I changed my mind, I'm extending what was supposed to be this chapter into two chapters, so you'll have to wait 'till Chapter Four before we really get into the plot. Sorry, but that's just how it turned out. It would have been too rushed in just one chapter. But Chapter Four will be worth it….oh so very worth it! And please please PLEASE if anyone saw any mistakes in my Japanese sword stuff, please let me know. And if anyone has any information about kenjutsu, TELL ME! I've been doing loads and loads of research on it and that's why it took so long to update. If I get info faster, you get your next chappie faster. That's how it works. I hope you likey! I'll work hard on the next one, sure to be full of fluff!**

**R&R!**


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